Ban gutka or we will, Allahabad High Court tells Akhilesh Yadav government

Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday directed the Akhilesh Yadav government to spell out its stand on banning gutka (tobacco pan masala) in Uttar Pradesh within two weeks, and warned if it failed to act, the court would itself slap a ban.

The directive came from a bench of Justices Amar Sharan and Anurag Kumar while hearing a petition by the Uttar Pradesh chapter of the Indian Dental Association, contending that the consumption of gutka was detrimental to oral and overall health and hence should be banned.

The next date of hearing on the matter has been fixed for Oct 10.

The petition also added that 12 states in the country have already banned the manufacture and sale of gutka.